Door-actuating mechanism for general-service cars.



W. E. MOREY.

DOOR ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR GENERAL SERVICE CARS.

APPLICATION FILUED MAY 5, 1913.

.1 155A3O. Patented (m. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

7765566. jzznfart WZZZZCZMEMOWg? W. E. MOREY.

DOOR ACTUATING MECHANlSP/I FOR GENERALSERVICE CARS. APPLICATION 'HLED MAY 5,1913.

1,155 Patented 001;. 5, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

- struction and at the same time sirlrrns arena? .WILLIAM E. MOREY, OF CHICAGO, ILl'IINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL IDUMP'CAR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPOMTION O15 MAINE.

DOOR-ACTUATING MECI IANISM FOR GENERAL-SERVICE CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented (lot. 5, 1915;

Application filed May 5, 1913. Serial No. 765,602.

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. MonnY, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain ncw and useful Improvements in Door-Actuating Mechanism for General-Service Cars, of which thefollowing is a specification. I

My invention relates in general to freight cars, and more particularly to door actuating mechanism for freight cars of the type known as general service cars.-

The practicability of general service cars depends largely upon the efiiciency of the mechanism for operating the drop doors which form the principal part of the car floor. It is essential that the operating mechanism should tightly close the doors to prevent leakage of the lading; should securely supportthe doors in closed position so as to avoid accidental dumping of the lading; and should permit the dropping of the doors to discharge the lading. It is further essential that the door operating mechanism should be strong and durable in consimple in operation. v

The object of my invention is to provide an improved operating mechanism for the drop doors of freight cars, which will possess the desirable characteristics above referred to.

My invention will be more fully disclosed hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which- Figure 1 is'a side elevational view. of a portion ofone end of a freight car, parts thereof beingbroken away; Fig. 2, an end elevational view. looking from the right in Fig. 1 on a smaller scale; Fig. 3, an enlarged completely closed; and Fig. 6, a

cross sectional view showing a door in open position; Fig. ha detail view showing the I door tion, such, for instance, as of, the box girder type. I

B indicates the front sill of the car, and C one of the cross bearers or transverse members of the underframe.

D designates one of the end walls of the car, and E one of the side walls.

F indicates one of the drop doors which is pivotally' supported by hinges G upon the center sill. The door F is adapted to be swung upwardly about its inner edge into a closed position flush with the plane of the floor of the car, or to be swung downwardly, to the positionshown in Fig. 3.

H designates a fixed floor strip which overlies the transverse underframe member 0 and projects on the opposite sides thereof so as to form stops against which the adjacent side edges of the adjacent doors engage when closed.

A car of the construction above described is one well-known and does not in'itself em body my invention, but is merely illustrated and described in order that the construction and operation of my improved door actuating mechanism may be fully (llSClOSBd It will be obvious that my invention may be applied to cars of other specific constructions than that aboye described.

Secured to the outer end'of each of the transverse members C of the underframe is a bearing plate K slot bounded by a flange 7c. The outer end of the slot is depressed so as to form a shoulder k between the lower surface of such depressed portion and the lower wall of the remaining portion of the slot, as clearly shown in Figs 6.

L designates a rotary shaft extending through the slots in the bearing plates K.

M designates chains connecting the shaft L with the free, or swinging, edge of the F. Two chains are preferably pro VlClBCl for each door F, the shaft L preferably extending one-half the length of the car and adapted to operate a plurality of doors, such as F. The ends of the chain M are preferably secured to the doors through the medium of eye-bolts a, each of which is carried by a block U rigidly secured beneath the door adjacent its swinging edge. As shown in Fig. 3, each block 0 fits between the flange 1 depending from the swinging edge of the door. and a Z-beam P which ex -1, tends transversely of the door and servest'o having formed therein a strengthen the same. Each block also in Fig. 4, it is supported inthe depressed preferably fits against .the adjacent side outer portions of the slots in the several flange f of the door.

R designates a pivoted latch, one of such latches being provided for supporting each side of each of the drop doors F. The

" latchesRon the opposite sides of each transtuating mechanism is as follows: When the Verse underframe member C may be conveniently supported, as shown in Fig. 1.

S, S designate brackets which are sebrackets K through which it extends.

The

.fuirther rotation of the shaft L after the -trom the depressed portion of the slots through which it extends, into the portions of the slots which are at a higher level.

cured to and depend from the inwardly in- This inward and upward movement of the clined portion 6 of the car side E. .A red S shaft causes the latches R to wedge the doors is supported by the lower ends of the bracktightly closed and to securely retain them in ets S and S and upon said rod are pivot R. ,In order to afford a more secure support shaft.

for the rodS, a bracket 8 is secured within lVhenit is desired to allow the doors to" the upper flange of the transverse unde'r- 'j -drop todischarge the lading the shaft is frame member through which the rod passes. "rotated-in a d rection to unwind the chains Spacingcollars 7* preferably surround the rods and are interposed between the latches R, R and the adjacent surfaces of thebracket 8 and transverse under-frame mem- .which will be more fully hereinafter described.

Fixed to the shaft L adjacent each hear ing plate K is a toothed collar U which is adapted to engage with a toothed rack V carried .by and preferably formed integral with the plate K.

The operation of my improveddoor aclateral movement of the shaft permits the.

several latches to swing downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 4, thereby permitting the free edge of the door to pass such latches and to fall to the full open position shown in F ig. 3.

From the foregoing description it will be I closed position, owing to the direct support ally supported the upper ends of the latches afforded to the latches by the underlying observed that I have invented an improved door actuating mechanism for the drop doors of freight cars, which will notonly close the doors but will wedge them tightly closed and securelysupport them in closed position, It will be further observed that door is in the open position shown in Fig. 3, my improved door operating mechanism .is and it is desired to'close the same, a suitexceedingly simple in operation, as it in able lever is applied to the squared end Z volves merely the rotation of a single shaft which projects beyond the end sill B of the car under-frame. The shaft L is thereby lo 7 locking in closed position of the doors, and tated in a direction to wind the chains N a rotation in. an opposite direction to unlock in one direction to effect the closing and thereon. When. the rotation of the shaft L has, through they winding of the chains thereon, lifted the door. F to the position shown in Fig. 4, a further rotation of the shaftwill cause it to move bodily inwardly, thereby swingin the latches R into the door supporting position shown in Fig; 5, in which they underlie the outer edges of the door, and preferably engage beneath the the doors, and permit them to drop to open position.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a car having a drop door, a rotatable shaft, a chain or the like operatively connecting said shaft and said door whereby rotation of the former will operate to close the latter, a latch member pivoted adjacent said shaft, the latter being operable during closing of said door to move said member beneath said door, and

means to, positively effect said last-named operation of said shaft, said means comprising a rack, said shaft being provided with a pinion member arranged to mesh and coact with said rack.

'2. In a freight car. the combination with an underframe comprising longitudinal and transverse members. of a fioor comprising drop doors.- a rotarv and bodily movable shaft supported by the underframe, chains gage to effect a bodil movement of said shaft longitudinally of the doors, and members actuated by the bodily movement of said shaft to support the doors in closed position. v

3. In a freight car, the combination with an underframe comprising longitudinal and transverse members, of a floor comprising drop doors therein, a rotary and bodily movable shaft extending transversely of-the path of movement of the doors, chains operatively connecting said shaft and doors to close the doors when the shaft is rotated, toothed collars .fixed to, said shaft, stationary racks with which said collars engage to effect a bodilv movement of the shaft longitudinally of the doors, and pivoted latches depending into' the path of movement of said shaft and aetuatedthereby to support the doors in closed position.

4. In afreight car, the combination with an underframe comprising longitudinal and transverse members. of a floor comprising drop doors therein, a rotary and bodily movable shaft extending through elongated openings in the ends of the transversen'iembers of the underframe, chains operatively connecting said shaft with the doors to lift the. doors upon the rotation of the shaft in one direction and to permit them to drop upon the rotation of the shaft in the opposite direction, toothed collars fixed to said shaft, racks secured to the transverse. members of the underframe above the slots therein through which such shaft extends,

and pivoted latches depending into the path of said shaft, whereby the rotation of said shaft will wind said chains thereon and lift said shaft in. position for the collars thereon to engage said racks and thereby bodily move said shaft toward the doors and swing said latches into positionto support l the doors.

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name.

WILLIAM E. MOREY.

Witnesses:

HENRY A. PARKS, ANNA L.-WALTON. 

